Ever want to write a book? Yeah, come to think of it, I have wanted to write a book. In fact, I felt like writing a book for years. I'm not that much different than a lot of people who have felt that way. The difference is, I did it, and now it's out there for all to read and criticize, but hopefully, in the end, enjoy.
The questions I often get from people who read it are: How long did it take? Where did the story come from? How much of it is really about you? How did you get it published? What made you decide to actually sit down and write the book? Let me start from the last question and work back.
I'll be honest, relationships with women haven't been a strong suit in my personal story. In fact, I've pretty much failed in every one I've ever had. That's not totally true. I've remained friends with many women I've dated, and my mom and I are still talking... However, I've also left relationships with people telling me some pretty mean things that, although may have stung, have actually motivated me to have a lot of impressive experiences, starting with traveling around the world playing guitar for a musical production. I did that after a girlfriend once told me I was wasting my time playing guitar as much as I was, because that was never going to amount to anything. To be fair, I wasn't very good. But that, along with some other criticism I got from a friend, motivated me to actually practice, and eventually I got to a point where I could hold my own, and I leapt. That leap took me all over the States, Canada, Europe, and Japan, so thank you for the motivation.
As for the book, I always wanted to write about my experiences either performing or traveling, or working with adjudicated kids in the backcountry. Another girlfriend and I were talking one day. When I mentioned wanting to write a book, her response was, "What makes you think you could write a book? You don't even like to read."
"Really?" I thought. "I'll show you..." (Said with a frowny face and arms folded across my chest.)
Yeah, I know. Boo, hoo...The truth of the matter, really, along with the motivating criticism, is that 19 years ago, I had a couple of dudes in my boat who asked me how I got into guiding. I told them I had recently come to a crossroad in life and needed to figure out what I wanted to do. Again, I took a leap and pursued fly-fishing. It was something I was super passionate about and knew that somehow, it was going to be my life. So, after breaking up with the "what makes you think you could write a book" girl, I bought a 1967 Shasta camper, moved it up to the river, and did everything I could to get on as many of the outfitters' radars as possible. The two guys were drooling over the idea of selling off everything and giving up their "real" jobs (and real lives, for that matter) to move to the river and fish the rest of their lives away. They said it was every guy's dream and that I should write a blog about it. (That was when blogs had just become a thing, and people actually read them. Kind of ironic that I'm writing an entry right now.)
In the first year of writing the blog, I took another client with his son out on the Dearborn River. I wrote about that experience where I tried so hard to get the son into fish and just couldn't get him to connect with a single trout that day. I actually went back up to where we had been fishing to try to catch the "one that got away." In the process, I came to some revelations about the relationship that just ended, and where I wanted to go from there. It was cathartic, and as I wrote about it, I thought of how that experience and the path I was on might make a really good book.
A few years ago, I fished with another guy who was out in Montana giving a talk about a book he published that had been included in the National Endowment for the Arts' Big Read. The Bear was Andrew Krivak's third book, and something I would recommend you all read. I actually had just finished it two weeks before I met A.J., which was totally by coincidence because I had no idea at the time, it was he whom I had booked the trip with. As we fished, we talked about writing, and of course, I told him I was thinking about writing a book just like everyone else on this planet. He was very encouraging. In fact, I texted him a few months later after finishing another of his books, and he told me he had gone through my blog and thought we should talk about turning it into something.
After hearing that, I figured maybe I could put together a story people would enjoy reading, so I sat down and started writing. I had just completed building my garage and wasn't going to start another big project. The guide season hadn't started yet, and I had some time, so I went back to that post about the guy and his son and started scratching some things out. I let it sit for a while as the guide season started rolling that spring, and then the next off-season (after another breakup), I felt it was time to really get to work.
I thought I had a pretty well-finished product, so I sent samples off to some folks in the business. It turns out, I wasn't anywhere near finished. Looking back, it's almost embarrassing that I even sent it out. The thing is, I never really thought I'd make money off the book, but I thought it was something people should read and would gain perspective from. But how do you get it on paper? I've heard the stories of Norman Maclean shopping his book to around 43 different publishers before anyone picked it up, and I realized I didn't have much of a chance for a real publisher to invest in me. After seeing an ad on TV about self-publishing, I started doing some research.
I learned quickly that self-publishing a book isn't anything like the ad would have one believe. It's a lot of work. First of all, you can't just upload a PDF and click a couple of buttons, and voila, it's on the shelves. The book has to be formatted for print and electronic publishing, which means you have to know the number of pages, the weight of paper, which determines the thickness, which determines the size of font, and everything else on the spine, etc., etc. Fortunately, I know a guy who is a patron of the Blackfoot Brewing Company, who did my logo for my outfitting business. He's also formatted several books for people going through the same process I was. He's also a fly-fisher, so we struck a deal.
The other thing I realized is that I probably needed help editing. The story is there, but how does an author put it down on paper in a way that people would keep reading? Again, I know a lady. Another client of mine, who is an attorney, said she would love to read it and mark it up with the expectation of taking her and her partner fishing. Another deal was struck.
As for the finer details of editing and a way to completely humble yourself, Grammarly was an invaluable tool for punctuation and spelling. Even with that, however, you will find mistakes. My mom found a couple and is not shy about pointing them out. I do appreciate that, though, and made the changes to the manuscript. If there's interest, there will probably be a second edition with another round of edits.
Another deal was struck, and I had the cover art. That story is still being told, so I'll leave it at that.
Before one publishes a book, they have to have an ISBN, or actually, several ISBNs. It's the number that gets filed with the Library of Congress, which ties the book to a publisher and gives the publisher the right to distribute the book. Each format of the book, e.g., hardcover, paperback, and digital, needs to have its own number. Each number costs about $125 unless you buy a pack of 10. There is a way that the author can use a number provided by the printing company, in my case, Ingram Spark, but then they own the rights. I opted for the 10-pack, which means I will probably need to write another book...
Every day I had off last guide season was spent editing and pulling together resources, and eventually, on September 9, 2025, Death of a Fly was available on all the major bookselling websites, including Amazon, Google, Apple, Barnes and Noble, and even Walmart. I have even found it on international sites selling in places like Germany, Japan, China, and even Russia.
So, where did the story come from? Why did you pick a woman as the main character? And, how much of the story is about me and how much is true? Are there any characters in the book who actually exist?
First of all, I really want to emphasize that the plot of Death of a Fly is 100% fiction. Although there are actual places that people familiar with the area will recognize, and many of the anecdotes that help tell the story are actual events that happened to me, what happens to the characters in the book is all made up.
Nineteen years ago, after guiding James and his dad on the Dearborn River, I thought about the idea of writing a book that uses fly-fishing as a vehicle for change and growth. I wrote a blog entry about that day and at some point, even suggested that I was going to turn it into a book. The thing is, that's already been done way too many times--sometimes successfully, but often in a way that becomes a book of cliches. I didn't want that. I wanted to write something that would really leave an impact, and because my life isn't all that interesting, I knew I was going to have to make it up.
I spent years thinking about a plot that might leave a mark on readers. I've only taken lit classes in high school, but I think we all have some understanding of what makes a good story. Characters that are relatable and go through a fair amount of shit, for starters, are pretty important. Having twists and turns that keep people reading is also important. Without giving anything away, let's just say that I spent a lot of time hiking the mountains and hanging from ladders while building my garage, thinking about this story before I actually sat down at my computer and started writing. Once I started writing, the anecdotes--the real stories of my life that helped the book get from point A to B--seemed to fall right into place. It was really a fun process.
I picked a woman as the main character for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I just thought it would be more interesting. Although there are women guides out there, and some really good ones at that, they are still a significant minority in the industry, and they are, by definition, the underdogs and people a reader should root for. The struggles are more real, but there is another motive behind having Rose Marie as the main character. There is a message I want my fellow guides and the clients we fish with to hear. It's not a fair system, and it's just a little something I can do to help. The other thing is there is a love interest, and one of the characters had to be a woman, and I thought it was more believable to have a female guide versus a girl playing tight end for the Grizzly football team.
As for the idea that real people are represented in the story, there are a few, and to those who are familiar with the guide scene in Craig, MT, you know who they are, at least one of them. He also knows I used him for this role, and I'm going to keep that a secret for our little guiding community. Other folks have indeed influenced me in various ways that I included in the book. I actually had a conversation with one such individual while leaving Uncle Joe's Bar in Craig on an evening earlier this fall.
In my first year of guiding on the Missouri, I had a run-in with this individual on the river that led to another interaction at Izaak's later that evening. All of that made the book, and in the fictional story, led to an important, life-altering event for Rose. However, what happens in the book after Izaak's is 100% fiction. I can't stress this enough, as the "real" person would never do what the character in the book does.
Other folks pop up from time to time, who are loosely taken from real people. Even some exes made the book in one capacity or another. Again, those who are close to the guiding culture and familiar with some of the residents of the area can make the connections, which again, will be our little secrets. One person who is a complete fabrication is Billy. Although there are a couple of Billys in the guide community, none of them exude the attributes that Billy in the book does, and that is a blessing.
Ok, so how much of this story, as well as the characters in the story, is really about me? Well...I feel like if I don't say something, it will be assumed that's way too much. I will say this: most of the characters have a little piece of me, even Billy. Some of them more than others. I did have similar struggles as Trick playing sports in high school, always being a rail. My coaches were constantly telling me to put on weight, and I did meet an ex-con who busted my ass to gain some muscle mass. Many of the anecdotes are my stories. That is true. I hope that appeases the curiosity. By the way, the first trout I ever caught on a fly was indeed with Garrett Munson.
Writing a book, or making any art for that matter, can leave a person feeling incredibly vulnerable. Anything we do that can be judged and compared to others, like performing music or playing sports, etc., is, by nature, opening ourselves up for criticism. Maybe that's why people don't do it more, and I feel we are all at a loss for it. If I'm going to be honest, even writing this post makes me aware that I am coming off as being pretentious to a lot of people. I can hear the thoughts as though they are ringing out over an empty theater through an unbalanced mic. "What does he think he knows about fly-fishing, or love, or relationships? Why does he think he's so special that we should read his book?" I get it. However, I am proud of the product and am equally proud of the education I've received through the process, and what I would tell anyone even thinking about putting themselves out there is just fucking do it. It may be way more rewarding for so many other reasons than getting book sales or praise.
On that note, I would love for you all to purchase a copy, and because you got to this point, I'm leaving you a QR code to order directly from Ingram Spark at a reduced price. When you finish the book, I would really appreciate it if you'd go to any of the major sites and write a review. I truly believe that once you read the book, you will believe like I do, that everyone should read it. (Well, mature audiences, of course. The book doesn't pull any punches.)
Keep 'em where they live...
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